France: Emmanuel Macron Secures Second Presidential Term Defeating Far-Right Leader

Macron emerged as the first French president to win a second term for two decades, but Le Pen's votes also showcased the strength of the far-right that has ever come to taking power

New Delhi: French President Emmanuel Macron secured a second term on Sunday by defeating his far-right rival Marine Le Pen by a comfortable margin. It was predicted that Macron will win around 58 per cent of the vote in the second phase of the run-off compared with Le Pen on 42 per cent, as per the projections by polling firms based on a sample of the vote count, according to news agency AFP.

The 44-year-old President has emerged as the first French president to win a second term in two decades, but Le Pen's votes also showcased the strength of the far-right that has ever come to taking power in France.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi also congratulated Emmanuel Macron on being re-elected as the President of France. Modi tweeted, "I look forward to continuing working together to deepen the India-France Strategic Partnership."

 

What’s the road ahead for President Emmanuel Macron?

There are plenty of challenges ahead of Macron in his second term beginning with the parliamentary elections in June which will test if he succeeds in keeping a majority to ensure that he can fulfill his ambitions to reform France.

Macron delivered a victory speech on the Champ de Mars in central Paris at the foot of the Eiffel Tower and vowed to address the anger of voters who backed his far-right rival.

Noting that the new term would not continue unchanged from the last five years, he said, "An answer must be found to the anger and disagreements that led many of our compatriots to vote for the extreme right. It will be my responsibility and that of those around me."

 He also pledged a "renewed method" to govern France, adding that this "new era" would not be one of "continuity with the last term which is now ending".

On the other hand, Le Pen, 53, who addressed her supporters didn’t show any sign of quitting politics. Le Pen noted that she would "never abandon" the French and was already preparing for the June legislative elections.

"The result represents a brilliant victory," she said to cheers.

It was the third defeat in presidential polls for Le Pen, who tried hard to get elected and distanced her party from the legacy of its founder, her father Jean-Marie Le Pen